BERLIN, Sept 24: Syrian President Bashar Assad said in comments released on Sunday that his nation wants ‘peace with Israel’ and welcomed US intervention in the region, but warned that Washington must listen to what people in the Middle East think if it wants positive change in the region.

At the same time, in an interview with Monday’s edition of Der Spiegel weekly magazine, Mr Assad blamed US policies in the region for ‘contributing to hopelessness in our country.

Only when the US government considers the point of view of individual nations in the region will it be able to make progress, he was quoted as saying.

“America must listen,” Mr Assad said. Mr Assad compared Washington’s approach to the ‘war on terrorism’ to ‘a doctor constantly banging away at a tumour instead of removing it surgically’. —AP